DEBORAH TERRY

It will be a challenge to ensure ours remains the smart country, the new Curtin vice-chancellor tells Helen Shield.

Biggest or best career break?

I’m not sure I’d point to any one. I had some very strong mentors and they encouraged me to take on bigger and more complex roles. It was probably most important when I moved out of my relatively comfortable position of running one of Australia’s leading schools of psychology at the University of Queensland and they encouraged me to take on leadership positions with a whole-of-university perspective.

Describe your leadership style.

I have what I think is a consultative and accessible leadership style. The core attributes of a good leader are being able to set good direction and the tone of an organisation and to communicate effectively. You have got to achieve the right balance between decisiveness and consultation. And you have to achieve outcomes.

Your most memorable executive experience?

It was leading another university (University of Queensland) during a significant period of transition. Not only did I need to keep a large, complex institution functioning smoothly but there were some budgetary pressures to manage and we were launching a new project to ensure a constructive workplace culture.

Are executive remuneration levels excessive?

University leaders in this country are now running very complex, big businesses. Curtin has got 62,000 students, 4000 staff and multiple physical footprints. Given that kind of responsibility and in comparison to other sectors in the Australian economy, I don’t think remuneration levels are excessive.

What’s the best way to improve productivity?

I think that if we work hard to make sure we have the right work environment, where people feel valued and supported and there’s a strong sense of common purpose and ambition, you have all the right ingredients for improving productivity. I think having the right systems in place and using technology smartly certainly assists.

Do you use social media?

I do. I’m on Facebook to keep up with family and friends. I’ve signed up to Yammer. Curtin uses Yammer as an internal (staff social media) platform. I’m enjoying that. It’s a good way to interact with staff.

What do you do in your spare time?

I’m an enthusiastic, but perhaps not particularly talented, cyclist. My husband and I are enjoying that aspect of Perth, its lovely bike paths, on the weekends, especially if there is coffee involved. I enjoy time with my family and I’m looking forward to finding out more about the classical music scene and opera in Perth.

Best Australian holiday destination?

I have strong family links to Margaret River. I really enjoyed that region when I was growing up and I’m looking forward to rediscovering it. Nationally, probably our favourite place is Bellingen, on the Waterfall Way in NSW. It’s beautiful with lots of wonderful bushwalking and scenery.

The last book you read?

I’m a bit of a reading addict. The most memorable book I have read recently is probably the Australian book by Kristina Olsson, Boy, Lost. It is a beautifully written family memoir, it vividly paints a picture of life in Australia in the 1950s, which is very powerful. It’s a true story. It documents the impact for a mother when a mother was separated from her child when he was an infant.

Is Australia still the smart country?

There are certainly challenges to ensure that all aspects of our education system deliver Australia the skill base it will need. It will require very significant skills in stem subjects — science, technology, maths — to drive the knowledge industries of the future. And graduates will need broad-based skills given the rate of change they will experience and the grand challenges they will have to deal with.

Is there pressure for intellectuals to be more guarded in public because of the potential to offend governments?

No, I don’t think so. I think researchers make claims and contributions that are based on evidence. My view is that our environment completely supports that. Our governments and our major industry sectors and corporations respect that approach. And a strong innovation system absolutely has to be based on evidence and data.